A Chinese naval flotilla, led by a pair of destroyers, was tracked sailing around nearly all of Japan’s territory, including its outlying southwestern islands, in less than a month, according to data released by Japan’s Defense Ministry.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
According to a Pentagon assessment, China operates the world’s largest navy by hull count, with more than 370 ships and submarines, helping Beijing further expand its military presence across the Pacific and challenging U.S. naval dominance.
Japan is a key U.S. ally in the island chain strategy. It forms part of two north-south defensive lines across the Western Pacific, aiming to project military power to deter and defend against potential Chinese aggression by leveraging U.S. and allied territories.
The recent naval maneuver marked the second time the Chinese military had deployed vessels on a circumnavigation of a U.S. ally this year. Three Chinese ships transited Australia from February to March, traveling from the eastern seaboard to the western seaboard.
What To Know
Japan’s Defense Ministry said three Chinese naval vessels passed through the Miyako Strait between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa on Friday, moving into the East China Sea from the Philippine Sea, both marginal seas of the Western Pacific.
Hull numbers identified the vessels as the Type 052D destroyers CNS Huainan and CNS Kaifeng and the Type 903A replenishment ship CNS Dongpinghu. Each Type 052D destroyer is equipped with a vertical launch system capable of firing 64 missiles.
The Chinese ships began their voyage around Japan on September 16-17, when they transited the Tsushima Strait, located between Japan and South Korea, moving into the Sea of Japan—also known as the East Sea in South Korea—from the East China Sea.
The Chinese flotilla later departed the Sea of Japan for the North Pacific as it transited the Soya Strait—also known as the La Pérouse Strait in Russia—on September 22-23. The strait lies between Russia’s Sakhalin Island and Japan’s main island of Hokkaido.
It remains unclear how far the Chinese vessels traveled while operating in the North Pacific. They were tracked again by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, which deployed an aircraft and a ship in response when they approached the Miyako Strait.
A map provided by Japan’s Defense Ministry indicated that the only Japanese territories not sailed around by the Chinese navy during this deployment were the islands west of the Miyako Strait and east of Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China as its own.
What People Are Saying
Japan’s defense white paper 2025 read: “China has been intensifying its activities across the entire region surrounding Japan, including in the East China Sea, particularly in the area around the Senkaku Islands, the Sea of Japan, and the western Pacific Ocean, extending beyond the so-called the first island chain to the second island chain.”
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, said in December 2024: “Japan has been closely tracking, monitoring and harassing operations of Chinese vessels and aircraft, which has endangered the safety of the Chinese vessels and aircraft, and can easily trigger incidents at sea or in the air.”
What Happens Next
China is likely to continue its naval activities around Japan. It remains unclear how Japan, with help from the U.S., will enhance its defenses to counter the Chinese navy.
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